Kenyan fashion brand Yoshita 1967 has made history after its founder, Anil Padia, won the Savoir-Faire Prize at the 2026 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers.
The win marks the first time a Kenyan label has reached the final of the prestigious LVMH Prize. Moreover, Yoshita 1967 leaves the competition with one of its top honours. Padia received the award at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, announced by actress Jennifer Lawrence.
Speaking during the event, Padia said: “I am completely lost for words. This has been a collective effort from all our team in Nairobi, and I am just extremely honoured.”
The Savoir-Faire Prize, introduced in 2024, recognises craftsmanship, technical expertise and innovation in fashion. In a statement, the French fashion house described Padia’s work as a brand that draws from collaboration and multiple cultural histories.
“Its practice is built around slow production and long-term collaboration with women-led craft communities, where circular economy begins with people, prioritising training, dignity, and stability,” LVMH said. “Through craft, Yoshita 1967 explores identity, memory, and taboo, creating space for new voices and overlooked stories, and using handwork as a language to reconnect past and present while supporting the communities behind the work.”
Along with the award, Padia receives a €200,000 (Ksh. 30M) endowment and a year of mentorship from LVMH experts.
Yoshita 1967 is rooted in Padia’s Indo-Kenyan heritage and a commitment to handmade fashion. The Nairobi-based label places craftsmanship and community at the centre of its work, incorporating techniques including crochet, embroidery and intricate hand embellishment into contemporary garments.
“The brand unifies the unheard voices of the women in my life and the censured stories in my lineage,” Padia said during the company’s launch in 2024. “It is a liberation of our collective karma. It is me coming home to myself…Yoshita 1967 will continue to celebrate the interconnectedness of these cultures.”
Padia was among nine finalists selected from more than 2,400 applications for the 2026 edition.
Padia shares this year’s honours with Belgian designer Julie Kegels, who won the main LVMH Prize, and Chinese designer Zane Li of Lii, who received the Karl Lagerfeld Prize.
